Mark is one of the all-time best. Taking vocal chances like the Flying Wallendas On High.
—Tony Adamo
First Listen: Tony Adamo pays tribute to Mark Murphy and UFOs
(May 13, 2020) In 2015, we described singer and spoken word artist Tony Adamo as “a true anachronism: a performer who is authentically ‘cool’ in a timeless, almost reckless way that almost no popular artist today can match.” It’s five years later and the irrepressible Mr. Adamo is still doing his thing —his thing being a vocal / hipspokenword sound that is unlike anything else out there, with a message and a cadence that come from a past time in jazz history that is as much mythical as it is pinpointable.
With his latest single on Ropeadope Records, Adamo pays tribute to much-honored jazz singer Mark Murphy, who recorded fearlessly for over a half- century, right until his 2015 death. Murphy was known for his versatility and adventurousness. Adamo tells us, “We hung together many times at jazz clubs in San Francisco. He was a most gracious jazz cat. Always helping up and coming Jazz/Blues singers in the Bay area. Mark is one of the all-time best. Taking vocal chances like the Flying Wallendas On High.”
Adamo’s unusual sound is an acquired taste for some, but quite a few people have acquired it, whether they dig his ultra-cool spoken words, or his always top tier band. And that continues on the new single. Take a listen below and tell us what you think.
By Chris Rizik, Soultracks
(May 13, 2020) In 2015, we described singer and spoken word artist Tony Adamo as “a true anachronism: a performer who is authentically ‘cool’ in a timeless, almost reckless way that almost no popular artist today can match.” It’s five years later and the irrepressible Mr. Adamo is still doing his thing —his thing being a vocal / hipspokenword sound that is unlike anything else out there, with a message and a cadence that come from a past time in jazz history that is as much mythical as it is pinpointable.
With his latest single on Ropeadope Records, Adamo pays tribute to much-honored jazz singer Mark Murphy, who recorded fearlessly for over a half- century, right until his 2015 death. Murphy was known for his versatility and adventurousness. Adamo tells us, “We hung together many times at jazz clubs in San Francisco. He was a most gracious jazz cat. Always helping up and coming Jazz/Blues singers in the Bay area. Mark is one of the all-time best. Taking vocal chances like the Flying Wallendas On High.”
Adamo’s unusual sound is an acquired taste for some, but quite a few people have acquired it, whether they dig his ultra-cool spoken words, or his always top tier band. And that continues on the new single. Take a listen below and tell us what you think.
By Chris Rizik, Soultracks
